Pijush at Shiladitya’s door to dissuade him from filing nomination as independent

HOJAI: A day after Hojai MLA Shiladitya Dev resigned from the ruling BJP for denial of ticket, Assam minister of state for health Pijush Hazarika turned up at his residence here persuading him not to contest as an independent candidate.

Amidst slogans denouncing the BJP and Hazarika himself by about 2000 supporters of Dev, the young minister is stated to have offered Dev an important position after the elections if he withdraws his resignation.

Dev had tendered his resignation last evening after the party denied him the ticket to contest the Assam assembly elections. He had announced that he would contest the polls as an independent.

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According to sources, Hazarika’s meeting with the Sangh activist and his supporters continued till late this evening. Hazarika is stated to be a close associate of BJP strongman Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Dev’s candidature as an independent will lead to vote sharing between him and the BJP which might pave the way for an easy victory for the Congress. The Congress has pitched Debabrata Saha as its candidate.

Dev last evening stated that he was contesting as an independent only to prevent victory of the Congress candidate which he viewed as a victory of the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front which is an ally of the Congress.